Assessment of Maternal Factors associated with Nutritional Status of Children 4-24 Months old Attending Immunization Clinics in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition is responsible for more than 41 percent of the deaths that occur annually in children from 6-24 months of age in developing countries. Mothers play a vital role in the choice and use of complementary feeds of their children and this is in turn determined by their varied socio-demographics. This study therefore set out to ascertain the maternal factors associated with the nutritional status of children aged 4-24 months attending routine immunization clinics in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, multistage sampling technique was used to select 210 mothers of children 4-24 months of age from two immunization clinics in Jos North Local Government Area. Quantitative data was collected from them using an interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed using Epi Info statistical software version 3.5.4. Statistical associations between maternal factors and nutritional status were determined using Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis based on a p - value of less than or equal to 0.05.
Result: The maternal factors associated with the children’s nutritional status included level of education (p = 0.047 for PCV), ethnicity (p = 0.023) and religion (p = 0.007) for food consumption. Also, income (p = 0.004 for food consumption), age group (p = 0.032 for food consumption and p = 0.019 for PCV).
Conclusion: It was concluded that more attention needs to be paid by families and governments to improving socioeconomic status of women as a strategy to curbing childhood malnutrition in in Nigeria.